Gabriel Onogwu, 20, from Benue, has become a symbol of hope for failing kidneys across the country, after successfully undergoing a transplant.His surgery in December is the first recorded in Abuja, done by a team of surgeons at View Point Hospital, a private clinic in the suburb of Gwarimpa. Gabriel’s transplant was funded by Nafs Kidney Foundation, a philanthropic group run by Suleiman Sulu-Gambari.
Days after the surgery, Gabriel walked around with a mask across his nose to ward off germs that could compromise his immune system and force his body to reject the kidney donated by his elder brother. Weeks later, the SS3 student of GSS, Karu is out of hospital and attempting to return to what his life was before his surgery.“I feel great, normal, just the way I used to feel before the kidney failure,” he says.